Thread: Defender - 1 Bus- 0

Originally Posted by weeds

err, no

with three kids in the car, at busy intersection, cars to beeping their horns i gave him all my details

all he gave me was his first name and a mobile no. that never answer and no voice mail

Mate.....do not give him the sweat off your crutch... what an arsehole. He is required by law to exchange particulars...as a "professional" driver, he should know that..but that is obviously not an apt description of this bloke.

Originally Posted by weeds

The bus driver mentioned in one of his phone calls yesterday that he decided to drive the bus back to the depot.......

My major issue now are getting al the details as BBC and translink are making go through there legal mobs i.e. Letters of demand to get basic info I need for my claim

Drivers full name
Depot where the bus is garaged
Make model of the bus

Two hours on the phone not much luck

I assume that the photo you posted of the damaged bus, including rego etc is from the accident ?

Should be pretty simple for them to work out who was driving it, what route and the fact that it was damaged and they would have had to repair the damage etc.

If they stuff you around too much just talk to your local opposition member/ ombudsman etc.

Or if you are feeling nasty threaten to go the the press. A nice photo in the courier mail with you sitting at a bus stop in a neck brace, a wife with a damaged foot and three traumatized kids and a photo of the damaged bus would work a treat I think!

George

Ok some progress today, RACQ seemed to be happy with a first name and a phone number that rings out for the driver, make and model as Scania volgren, and the garaging address as an intersection where the depot is

Dropped into a smash repairer, needs new tow bar assembly as it took the impact, new tail light, make door shut properly, remove dents (pretty sure they were all ready there) respray back of car. They also told me to purchase a new do35 pin and cover and that they would refund me the money.

Translink rang to say the driver had reported the accident today.......but could not release any info that I needed and good luck with the claim, they would also retrain the driver on what to do at an accident, no report would be sent to the depot

Hopefully the insurance companies work it out prior to me paying the excess

Originally Posted by digger

By this, I assume that he hasn't lodged the report with his company which I am certain is required before end of shift
and
therefore hasn't reported the accident... THAT CAN BE OF CONCERN TO YOU!! As soon as you can you should report the accident to Police to ensure it is reported in a timely manner (requirement in SA is 24 hrs, I assume its like that everywhere)


digger

Only required to be reported if there are personal injuries above a certain threshold, if the vehicular damage is significant or if there is a problem with the other driver not supplying his details. Otherwise no obligation to call the cops in Qld. If you have even a single vehicle accident and the cops come out you will get a fine and points deducted.

Bus drivers need a DA from the transport department and need to maintain a good driving record. At the very least he should cop a follow too close fine, but don't always assume that the one who hits from behind is at fault. My wife got cut off by an idiot who then sped up and slowed down in front of her, slammed his brakes on really hard and she rear ended him, then he got out and started spouting that she deserved it and that he had deliberately braked hard to teach her a lesson. Turns out her declaration of this was enough for the cops and the insurance paid all repairs, he was charged with dangerous driving and got fined, she didn't have to pay any excess either as it was all on him. Insurance agreed with the police viewpoint.

So these things are not always so simple. but the way bus drivers drive, pulling out into traffic just because the feel they have right of way, it is to be expected that accidents like these will happen.

Thank goodness it wasn't a compact car! Good luck Weeds, you shouldn't have to pay an excess if the other driver was at fault which they seem to be, as long as you provide the rego number and driver details to the insurer.

pfillery,
dont get me wrong, I am sure most bus (in fact most heavy veh) drivers are very safe and responsible drivers (I hold an articulated heavy veh lic myself) this is evidenced by the fact they are not represented largely when accidents etc vs kms are taken into account.

But this bloke, panicking or not has dropped the ball big time.
He has had an accident (note I have said accident not collision as in Im sure it was not deliberate) and collided with a large veh (thankfully not a smart car or similar as Pfillery has said!!) loaded with a bloke and his family who, luckily, were not injured. Obviously it was a fair shunt but not as though he has powered on into the prang!!

He has a couple of responsibilities by law, One is to exchange full and correct details incl address (he could have given his work address), with the other driver (which he hasn't done) and to report the accident.(which he has eventually done).

In SA anyone involved in passenger transport MUST report ALL 201s, regaurdless within 24 hrs.. I would be surprised if the Brisbane City Council doesnt have rules like this for their buses even if the QLD govt doesnt!


The bit that gets me is the fact he now won't answer his phone at all, this may be because his work has told him not to speak with WEEDS about the 201 and instead of answering and telling WEEDS exactly that, he doesn't answer telephone etc... not much of a bloke at all I reckon!

In the long run he has made a mistake and needs to face up to it, if he minimises it at work without affectings WEEDS' repairs etc being done then all good still as far as Im concerned BUT when they now impede everything continuously like they are --its a crappy reflection on him as a man and them as an organisation.

But back to the point, I am not in any way biased against heavy veh drivers etc, I am annoyed by the newspaper headlines "TRUCK HITS CAR" when in reality the car has collided with the truck thats done everything to avoid it!! (it is explained away that its because the truck is bigger they write it that way, but last time a plane fell out of the sky I didnt read a headline "EARTH HITS PLANE" so I think thats a cop out!!.. )

Lastly, WEEDS in SA the Police will supply the other driver of a 201 with the name and address and rego of the other party involved for insurance purposes, no costs no choices to either party involved, may be worth enquiring with QLD POL to see if they do the same.

when all is said and done at least no one was hurt! (Did you claim for new jocks? If I got hit and looked in the mirror and saw a window full of bus Id probably need some... )

cheers- good luck WEEDS

Originally Posted by MickS

Interesting thing is, in NSW at least, and I can't imagine things have changed too much...but when a heavy vehicle, especially a bus, is involved in an MVA, the RTA inspectors attend.

I can see him skulking back to the depot, writing up his diary or whatever they do at the end of the shift, hanging up the keys then getting the hell out of Dodge before anyone notices..."Me boss?? Naaah, someone must have backed into it..."

Also from NSW a crash in Public Passenger Vehicle is a big thing as all the passengers are able to claim for injuries. It used to be, and I assume still is, that any Sydney Buses bus (NSW Gvt.) is not supposed to be moved until the Sydney Buses inspectors are on scene and the passengers are transferred to another bus for the remainder of the journey. It also has to be reported to the Dept of Transport (separate department to the RTA, that administers anything related to public transport, like cabs and buses).

If the driver was on his last warning, perhaps it's time he got another job not driving buses.

Diana

Originally Posted by digger

pfillery,
*dont get me wrong, I am sure most bus (in fact most heavy veh) drivers are very safe and responsible drivers (I hold an articulated heavy veh lic myself) this is evidenced by the fact they are not represented largely when accidents etc vs kms are taken into account.

But this bloke, panicking or not has dropped the ball big time.
He has had an accident (note I have said accident not collision as in Im sure it was not deliberate) and collided with a large veh (thankfully not a smart car or similar as Pfillery has said!!) loaded with a bloke and his family who, luckily, were not injured. Obviously it was a fair shunt but not as though he has powered on into the prang!!

He has a couple of responsibilities by law, One is to exchange full and correct details incl address (he could have given his work address), with the other driver (which he hasn't done) and to report the accident.(which he has eventually done).

**In SA anyone involved in passenger transport MUST report ALL 201s, regaurdless within 24 hrs.. I would be surprised if the Brisbane City Council doesnt have rules like this for their buses even if the QLD govt doesnt!


The bit that gets me is the fact he now won't answer his phone at all, this may be because his work has told him not to speak with WEEDS about the 201 and instead of answering and telling WEEDS exactly that, he doesn't answer telephone etc... not much of a bloke at all I reckon!

In the long run he has made a mistake and needs to face up to it, if he minimises it at work without affectings WEEDS' repairs etc being done then all good still as far as Im concerned BUT when they now impede everything continuously like they are --its a crappy reflection on him as a man and them as an organisation.

But back to the point, I am not in any way biased against heavy veh drivers etc, I am annoyed by the newspaper headlines "TRUCK HITS CAR" when in reality the car has collided with the truck thats done everything to avoid it!! (it is explained away that its because the truck is bigger they write it that way, but last time a plane fell out of the sky I didnt read a headline "EARTH HITS PLANE" so I think thats a cop out!!.. )

***Lastly, WEEDS in SA the Police will supply the other driver of a 201 with the name and address and rego of the other party involved for insurance purposes, no costs no choices to either party involved, may be worth enquiring with QLD POL to see if they do the same.

when all is said and done at least no one was hurt! (Did you claim for new jocks? If I got hit and looked in the mirror and saw a window full of bus Id probably need some... )

cheers- good luck WEEDS

*Sorry, not where BCC bus drivers are concerned. As they work under pay and conditions that a professional driver would not accept, BCC drivers are trained by BCC in a crash course.
The only qualification for employment is an open car licence and the ability to obtain a D.A., the turnover of staff is high with more leaving than staying before a year is up. Professional drivers in Brisbane rate BCC bus drivers similarly to the geographically challenged cab drivers.

**In Queensland police have to be notified if anyone is injured or the damage is over $2500 to the other party, however police are reluctant to attend MVAs and will try to avoid so by claiming that the damage has to be $2500 worth of parts or, if they attend, both drivers will be breached.

***Not in Queensland, police are not allowed to reveal private information.

Also worth noting is that the driver gets paid 15 minutes at overtime rate to fill out an accident report. BCC are well known for stalling and using every trick known to avoid and deny their financial liabilities, in this type of matter.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

*Sorry, not where BCC bus drivers are concerned. As they work under pay and conditions that a professional driver would not accept, BCC drivers are trained by BCC in a crash course.
The only qualification for employment is an open car licence and the ability to obtain a D.A., the turnover of staff is high with more leaving than staying before a year is up. <snip>

I know nothing about BCC other than what I read here, however Sydney Buses do train their drivers from a car licence and are authorised to issue MR and HR etc licences by the RTA, the same as there are numerous private examiners issuing the whole range of heavy vehicle licences to the transport industry. I would be very surprised if after the BCC "crash course" (not the one where they are trained to cause smashes) the successful drivers were not issued with a MR licence. That said I have been surprised before.

As for crashes, accidents or smashes, there are very few incidents where a vehicle is damaged where there was no error or ommission by a human being. It may not have been intentional, but it may have been not driving to the road conditions, it may have been momentary distraction or innattention or it may have been poor maintenance on the vehicle, but when one vehicle crashes into another God (sic) or The Universe usually had very little to do with it. IMHO Suck it in, a crash is a crash and usually not an accident as a human being almost always had something to do with the cause of it happening.

Diana

BTW: A long time ago (when I was a young driver), you could not sue The Crown. As Government buses were owned by The Crown and if a Govt. bus hit you you were liable for your own repairs. I am pretty sure that this situation changed a long time ago.